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Dear Friends,

It is hard to believe, but the spring 2011 semester will soon draw to a close. As we look forward to commencement and the summer programs (click here to learn more), I would like to thank you for your time and support of WCL, and your generosity with students this past year. The class of 2011 has great role models to follow!

And I want to remind you that WCL has benefits for alumni too. We continue to strive to assist every alumnus with career goals (see the Office of Career and Professional Development announcements at the end of this newsletter) and skills. And we offer networking events in several cities throught the country.

In addition, local alumni can audit courses for $100 per course to gain new insight, sharpen skills, or start a new career path. To find out more, visit the Alumni Relations web pages at www.wcl.american.edu/alumni.

The Pence Law Library is open to you and, with an alumni card, you can check out books for private or professional research. To get an alumni card, email alumni@wcl.american.edu, or stop by our office at 4801 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 373, Monday - Friday 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM. This option is only open to students and alumni.

Founders events offer CLE credit in several states, as well as top notch acclaimed programming. Take a look at the list of Founder's events listed below, or visit http://www.wcl.american.edu/secle/.

Our online community - InCircle (http://wcl.affinitycircles.com), offers an alumni directory, as well as the opportunity to update your contact information, find old friends, and search for alumni who can assist you in other states or practice areas.

Please visit our web calendar at www.wcl.american.edu/calendar or our alumni web pages at www.wcl.american.edu/alumni for details on these (and other) events as they become available. (Alumni are invited to attend any event regardless of where they live.)

ALUMNI ARE ALSO INVITED TO ATTEND

2nd Annual Black Law Students Association Women's Tea

WCL BLSA & the Black Women's Bar Association of Suburban Maryland, Inc invite you to attend the 2nd Annual BLSA Women's Tea. Each year students, alumni, faculty and staff of the Washington College of Law, as well as other special invited guests are invited to gather together for this midday tea in celebration of the leadership and dedication of African-American women in the field of law. This great event will take place at the Hillwood Café, Hillwood Estate, and Museum & Gardens, located at 4155 Linnean Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008.

Human Rights Law Networking Reception

Network with WCL alumni who are practicing Human Rights law in the government, non-profit, and private sectors; Talk with current students interested in Human Rights Careers; and learn about Human Rights law-related happenings at WCL. RSVP by April 15 to alumni@wcl.american.edu or call 202-274-4163. Please include your class year and degree with your response.

Sponsored By, the Office of the Dean, and the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, the Faculty Public Interest Committee, the Human Rights Brief, the Human Rights Law Faculty and Staff, the International Human Rights Law Clinic, Office of Alumni Relations and Development, Office of Public Interest and the War Crimes Research Office.

The Obama Administration and Human Rights Conference

Date: April 28-29, 2011Time: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PMLocation: WCL, Room 603

American University is hosting a campus-wide conference that will examine what the Obama administration has accomplished inhuman rights at home and abroad during its first two years, and what remains to be addressed. The invited speakers include significant human rights figures, government officials, civil society leaders and academics. Confirmed speakers include Aryeh Neier (Open Society Foundations), Anthony Romero (ACLU), Deputy Asst Secretary of Defense Rosa Brooks, Elisa Massimino (Human Rights First) among others. The diversity of view points will offer a balanced examination of pressing human rights issues and will provide the Obama Administration with objective suggestions for policy reforms moving forward. For more information, go to www.obamaandhumanrights.org.

Virginia State Bar Annual Meeting Alumni Breakfast

The Office of Development and Alumni Relations invites you to attend an alumni breakfast for WCL alumni attending the 73rd Virginia State Bar Annual Meeting in Virginia Beach. Breakfast will be held at the Cavalier Ocean Front Hotel on Orion's Roof.

DEPARTMENTS:

We invite you to attend American University Washington College of Law's summer programs in Washington, D.C. Students and practitioners alike benefit from the intensive training, expert instruction, and networking opportunities with influential people in all areas of the law. The programs qualify for academic or Continuing Legal Education credit and can also be used towards an LL.M. degree. Topics include environmental law, health law and policy, human rights and humanitarian law, intellectual property, international commercial arbitration, international organizations and diplomacy, law and government, and military justice. Learn more at wcl.american.edu/summer.

Note: These programs cannot be audited.

Summer Institute on Law & Government

Date: June 20 - June 30, 2011

The Summer Institute on Law and Government is a program that is designed for both experienced practitioners and law students who are serious about public service. One part of the program, The Washington Lawyer's Toolbox, will focus on the complex challenges of practicing law in Washington, D.C., including indispensable updates on lobbying, administrative and regulatory process, Supreme Court advocacy, election and campaign finance law, and ten years after 9/11 developments in national security law and immigration law. The other part, entitled "Lawyering in the New Financial Landscape" will comprehensively address the ways in which the financial meltdown and the resulting Dodd-Frank legislation are reshaping regulation of key financial institutions and practices at home. Attendees may craft a curriculum to fit their individual interests and schedules as classes will be offered throughout the day and evening to provide maximum flexibility.

The Health Law and Policy Institute is designed for students and lawyers who are practicing or preparing to practice health care law, and offers training in theoretical and practical aspects of health law and policy. Custom-developed courses taught by attorneys from private practice, health care organizations, government, and non-governmental organizations will provide an intensive learning experience. Guest lectures, panel discussions, and other activities involving leading health care attorneys from governmental and non-governmental Washington, D.C., will provide Health Law and Policy Institute participants with dynamic learning and networking opportunities.

Do you have a externship opportunity for a WCL student?

Last year, more than 350 WCL students earned academic credit for their unpaid legal work at a wide variety of not-for-profit organizations (including courts, government agencies, and law firms engaged in pro bono projects) in the Washington DC area.

Under attorney supervision, externs drafted briefs, reviewed and responded to discovery requests, drafted legal research memoranda, conducted client and witness interviews, assisted in trial preparation, and participated in the drafting of regulations

To earn credit, externs must be engaged in substantive legal work under the supervision of an attorney. They must work on-site. Students can earn credit for up to 20 hours of work per week during the fall and spring semesters and can work full-time during the summer semester. During the summer, students work in other states and other countries.

If you would like to provide students with information about the firm, organization or agency with whom you work, please let contact the Externship Program at externship@Wcl.american.edu, or call: 202-274-4200.

Fifth Annual WCL Connections Reception for Fall Recruitment Employers

Dean Claudio Grossman and the Office of Career & Professional Development welcomed current Fall Recruitment employers to attend a cocktail reception at the law school with first and second year law students on Tuesday, April 5. The reception serves as an opportunity for employers and students to connect in advance of the upcoming recruiting season. This year, 19 alumni representing their employers returned to campus for the event, which was attended by nearly 70 law students. For more information about other employer outreach initiatives, please contact Tedi Mason, Recruitment Coordinator, at tmason@wcl.american.edu or 202-274-4095.

Alumni Career Development Listserv

The Alumni Career Development Listserv offers alumni a forum through which to announce career-related events, programs, networking opportunities and job leads that might be of general interest to the alumni community, as well as to solicit job-search advice, information, and referrals within particular geographic regions or practice areas. (Note: please continue to submit formal job postings through OCPD and/or CareerLink to ensure maximum exposure to the WCL student and alumni communities). The listserv will be moderated to ensure appropriate usage. To subscribe, email Alumni Counselor Matthew Pascocello at mpasco@wcl.american.edu.

Alumni Career Development Programs, Listserv, and Webinars

To access upcoming career programs, visit the WCL main web calendar, or login to OCPD's CareerLink (to create an account, click here). Additional services for job seeking alumni can be found at OCPD's Alumni Services link (http://www.wcl.american.edu/career/alumni.cfm) where you can gain access to the Mentor Database, Job Exchange Bulletins and find information about Reciprocity to other law schools' career offices, as well as free access to the Career Library portion of Lexis. Alumni Counselor Matthew Pascocello is happy to meet with alumni by appointment either in person or by phone. Contact him at 202-274-4092 or mpasco@wcl.american.edu.

Consider Becoming an Alumni Mentor!

One of the best ways for students and alumni to get the inside scoop about employment trends, opportunities, and information about what it is like to practice a particular area of law, or with a particular employer, is by asking alumni who have "been there" and "done that." WCL Alumni Mentors play an integral role in affording students and fellow alumni the opportunity to conduct networking and informational interviews. In a competitive marketplace, the need for such valuable contacts and opportunities cannot be overstated. Statistically speaking, more lawyers get jobs through networking than from any other job search method! The Office of Career& Professional Development encourages you to enroll today to become a Mentor through our simple online registration process or by contacting alumni counselor Matthew Pascocello at 202-274-4092 mpasco@wcl.american.edu.

The True Rules of Cross-Examination

This event will be presented by the highly esteemed trial attorney and WCL Professor Emeritus Michael Tigar. Professor Tigar is the author of numerous law review articles and the editor of more than a dozen books.In law practice, Professor Tigar has represented The Washington Post, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Scott McClellan, Rep. Ronald Dellums, Mobil Oil, Fernando Chavez, and Terry Lynn Nichols. He has tried cases before myriad courts across the country and argued seven cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Professor Tigar will discuss cross-examinations, including examples from trial counters, thoughts on the difficult problem of cross-examining experts, and how to plan a cross-examination.

There is no charge for general registration, but you must register to attend. CLE Accreditation will be applied for 1.5 hours and costs $55.00. Click here to register.